A new tech platform hoping to become the ‘Airbnb of recruitment’ is launching after an investment of around £1 million and two years of collaboration with major brands.
Caroo is a new app which uses advanced algorithms to match tech, digital and creative talent to jobs, with an initial focus on Manchester and the North West.
Led by managing director and self-confessed “geek” Gareth Peterson, the premise behind the user-led platform was to create a “one-stop shop for career progression”.
“The problem we wanted to solve is fundamentally one of experience,” Peterson told BusinessCloud.
“If I’m looking to browse the market for potential career opportunities then I’ll be speaking to several agencies about several different roles, searching through a variety of job boards and looking at company websites. That’s actually a hell of a lot of work to just understand what’s on the market.
“What we want to do is enable jobs to find people and for them to see opportunities that relate to their experiences, skills and personal interests.”
Approximately £1 million has been invested in Caroo to date, with private equity firm Optimise Capital overseeing the financial side of the business.
Over the last two years, the Caroo team has held sessions with HR progressionals and talent teams from major regional employers including Adidas, BBC, The Hut Group, Dentsu Aegis, GymShark and Boohoo.
Peterson said the companies have helped to design and mould the platform into what it is today.
“Our users have designed an experience perfect for the passive candidate where they can add their data in six taps, powering an algorithm that will recommend roles and brands based on core skills and interests,” he said, adding that this removes middlemen and “irrelevant” email alerts.
“As users interact with the system the machine learns more about them and improves the matching algorithms.”
Caroo is currently in Beta testing and will launch in the North West before expanding into other sectors and the rest of the UK during 2019.
The focus is initially on the digital, technology and media sectors offering its beta community free use of the system until the commercial model kicks in next year.
The platform also includes a free model, targeted at SMEs, where businesses can make up to four hires per year at no cost.
“The recruitment sector hasn’t had its AirBnB moment yet,” said Peterson.
“There is a significant opportunity to not only keep an eye out for relevant jobs on behalf of our users but also to help them document their careers and support their progress all from their mobiles.”